In Fear's Grip
by Etaleah
Summary: Everyone knows Kaiser Marufuji Ryo is fearless and strong. But what if he wasn't so courageous? Three alternate scenarios where Ryo succumbs to fear.
1. Chapter 1

The warmth emitting from the collar was not a pleasant one. It had a foreboding quality to it, like a flame on a candle that would burn your hand if you got too close. The little voice in Ryo's head was begging him to take it off, but he knew Saruyama wanted him to wear it, and right now Saruyama was his only hope. Why he wanted him to wear it was still a mystery.

"Meet your new opponent, Marufuji," Saruyama chuckled. Ryo looked up and froze. Towering over him was a man who looked strong enough to snap him like a twig if he was in the right mood. He wore a sadistic grin as well as the same collars as Ryo. His muscles bulged like basketballs and his clenched fists were bigger than Ryo's forearms and shoulders.

"Mad Dog Inukai!" Saruyama announced. Mad Dog growled and roared. The crowd erupted into cheers and Ryo began to tremble. Anyone with a name like Mad Dog had to be at least a little mentally unstable. If anything happened to Ryo down here, no one would ever know. Why had he let Saruyama talk him into this?

"Begin the duel!" Ryo activated his duel disk and drew with a shaking hand. _It's okay. It's just another duel. You've played this game a thousand times._ So why was his heart beating like an animal in a trap?

He watched Mad Dog make his first move and tried to keep his hand steady as he laid down his own cards. So far everything seemed tame enough.

"You lose five hundred life points!"

Lightning shot through Ryo's body with so much intensity that he nearly fell over from pain and dizziness. His arms, legs, and neck burned as if they were on fire and strands of his hair began to stand up. Everything was blue for a moment, and he breathed in heavy and deep as he waited for the spots to clear from his vision. His shaking intensified until he couldn't stop, and his knees buckled.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice cracking.

"These are Hell Duels," Saruyama explained, smirking. "Every time you lose points, you feel pain. To lose is a duel here is to die."

"That's sick," he said, paling. "Duels should be about honor and respect, not about suffering."

Saruyama swept his arms around him. "And yet you're here. Did honor and respect get you through the pro leagues? Did honor and respect help you beat Edo Phoenix?"

"But—"

"Do you want to get back on top, or don't you?"

Ryo glared at Saruyama, but rose to his feet and drew his cards. Mad Dog was smiling, clearly enjoying this. Ryo tried to ignore him as he took his turn without really thinking about it. How could he concentrate when one mistake meant death?

He envied Mad Dog. It was obvious he hadn't been unaware of the consequences of losing. Even if he had been, he looked like an electric shock probably wouldn't even faze him.

"Prepare to taste the pain!" Mad Dog screamed. Ryo braced himself, but knowing the pain was coming didn't make it any easier to bear. If anything, it was worse. Ryo fell to his knees again, and as soon as he got his breath back, he faced Saruyama.

"Forget this. I want out."

"Coward," Mad Dog sneered. The crowd began booing. Saruyama's smirk was replaced by an icy glare.

"That cage will not be unlocked until someone's life points hit zero. And every door is locked and guarded," he added as he noticed Ryo glance around.

Trying to stay calm, Ryo said, "Look, I won't say a word to anyone. No one will ever have to know about this place or you or what happened. Just let me out."

"Quit whining and get up already," Mad Dog barked.

Ryo kept his eyes on Saruyama. "Please."

"You know what you have to do to leave. Now stop complaining and do it."

Ryo shook his head. "You're insane."

Saruyama rolled his eyes. This wasn't worth his time.

One press of a button later, there was one less former pro duelist left in the world to worry about.


	2. Chapter 2

Camula continued to glare and growl even as her life points dropped to zero and she fell to her knees. A breath later, she bared her fangs in a twisted smile.

"At least I have a consolation prize," she laughed. "Your brother's soul!" Ryo shut his eyes as Shou slowly vanished from head to toe, leaving only a single tear that dropped to the ground. His screams rattled in Ryo's head. Camula squeezed her new doll possessively and stroked its blue hair.

"What an adorable doll," she purred. Ryo swallowed hard and kept his eyes on the ground. As Camula disappeared with her new toy, he proceeded down the stairs to rejoin the others, his heart heavy. Although he'd won a duel against what had so far been the toughest of the Seven Stars and had even gotten Chronos-sensei's soul back, he was not greeted warmly.

Juudai was baring his teeth and being held back by Asuka. "I hope you're happy, Kaiser. You managed to keep your perfect record."

"That's not why I did it, Juudai," he muttered. "If I had lost, she would have gotten another spirit key."

"And I suppose a key is more valuable than Shou's soul?" Juudai spat.

"Juudai—" Asuka started.

"Admit it!" Juudai yelled. "You only won to save yourself! Shou always said you never cared about him. I always told him he was wrong, but I guess he wasn't." Juudai's eyes burned with fury and Ryo couldn't meet them. "You're his big brother. You're supposed to protect him." He shook his head, fighting tears. "And to think that I looked up to you. That everyone at this school, including your little brother, looked up to you."

Ryo didn't hear anything that was said after that. He went home to his dorm and stayed there until the next night, when Juudai dueled Camula and won Shou's soul back. He checked in on Shou every now and then to make sure he was doing okay, but he never spoke to Juudai again.

He didn't want to admit that Juudai had been right.


	3. Chapter 3

Ryo huddled into his coat and blanket, trying and failing to warm himself by the fire. He had spent the whole day keeping low to stay out of sight and his back was killing him. He sighed. No food, no place to sleep, a cold night in a strange world, and unwelcome company. The latter was shaking his head at him.

"So the great Marufuji Ryo is just going to sit there and starve?" Edo asked.

"Hopefully not starve," he replied, his stomach growling. "But I am going to stay put for now. It's safe here."

"What about Johan? What about Juudai and all your other friends? What about your brother?" Ryo couldn't see Edo's eyes in the dark, but his tone spoke for them.

"They're fine," Ryo said, though he wasn't so sure. "They're strong duelists."

"So are you. Or at least you used to be. What happened to the Ryo who almost beat me?"

Ryo fixed him with a hard look. "Edo, I'm not arguing with you. Just go on to the prison camp or Haou's castle or wherever it is you're going without me."

"Why are you so afraid?" Edo asked. "In the state your heart is in, you're going to die soon anyway. You'd rather wilt away slowly than go out with a bang?"

Ryo kept his eyes on the ground. "Who knows what Haou will do to us if they catch us?"

Edo shook his head. "Forget it." He stomped away, leaving Ryo to hide out in the darkness alone.


End file.
